chapter 1

Question 1

Why do I need statistics?

Answer 1

Explain, and describe phenomena in a tangible way we can measure and understand
Helps us see the world for what it truly is and not what we think it may be
it helps us see if progress is being made in research and in the world

Question 2

what are the 2 branches of statistics

Answer 2

descriptive, inferential

Question 3

what is descriptive stats?

Answer 3

ways of describing large amounts of data in a single number or a few numbers. organize, summarize, communicate

Question 4

A bar graph is a good example of which branch of statistics?

Answer 4

descriptive

Question 5

N=

Answer 5

number of people in a sample/population

Question 6

what is the mean?

Answer 6

arithmetic average of the scores

Question 7

the point that divides the distribution

Answer 7

median

Question 8

mode

Answer 8

the score most frequently occuring

Question 9

standard deviation

Answer 9

lets you know how close the scores are together, the smaller the sd the closer. the larger the SD, the more scattered.

Question 10

what is inferential statistics?

Answer 10

using sample data to make general estimations about the larger population

Question 11

using data to say something with confidence, about a whole population, based on the study of only a few

Answer 11

sampling

Question 12

What is the difference between a sample and population?

Answer 12

the population is the entire group being studied. the sample are the specific group the data is being collected from. sample smaller than population

Question 13

statistical inference :

Answer 13

the act of generalizing from a sample to a population with calculated degree of certainty

Question 14

a new mouthguard was designed to prevent teeth grinding. it was tested on random people who grind their teeth. based on the results, it was effective at preventing teeth grinding. this is an example of what type of statistics?

Answer 14

inferential

Question 15

What is random sampling?

Answer 15

every member of the population being studied would have an equal chance of being selected

Question 16

why is random sampling good?

Answer 16

for very large samples, it provides the best chance of an unbiased representative sample

Question 17

sampling that is time consuming for large populations due to the need to list every individual

Answer 17

random sampling

Question 18

What is stratified sampling?

Answer 18

dividing the target population into important subcategories. selecting members in the proportion that they occur in the population

Question 19

why is stratified sampling good?

Answer 19

a deliberate effort is made to make the sample representative of the entire target population

Question 20

why is stratified sampling bad?

Answer 20

it can be time consuming as the subcategories have to be identified and proportions calculated

Question 21

volunteer sampling

Answer 21

individuals choose to be involved in a study. also called self selecting.

Question 22

why is volunteer sampling good?

Answer 22

convenient and ethical if it leads to informed consent

Question 23

why is volunteer sampling bad?

Answer 23

unrepresentative as it leads to bias on the part of the participant. eg a daytime tv advert would not attract full time workers

Question 24

opportunity sampling

Answer 24

simply selecting those people that are available at the time

Question 25

why is opportunity sampling good?

Answer 25

quick, convenient, economical. a most common type of sampling in practice.

Question 26

why is opportunity sampling bad?

Answer 26

very unrepresentative samples and often biased by the researcher who wil likely choose people who are "helpful"

Question 27

observations of physical, attitudinal, and behavioral characteristics that take on different values

Answer 27

variables

Question 28

researchers typically begin research by

Answer 28

operationalizing or transforming their observations into numbers

Question 29

variable manipulated by researcher, chosen to have some effect on some response or behavior

Answer 29

independent variable

Question 30

dependent variable

Answer 30

a response measure we think will be influenced by the independent variables. it is what we are measuring/interested in

Question 31

identify the independent and dependent variables. | you want to see if wet food satisfies your cat more.

Answer 31

independent: wet food dependent: the cat's satiation

Question 32

mediating variable

Answer 32

variable that acts as a bridge connecting the independent variable to the dependent variable

Question 33

idenify the indpendent, mediating, and dependent variables

Question 34

effect on results because of the extraneous variables not controlled for

Answer 34

spurious effect

Question 35

When does an extraneous variable become a confound?

Answer 35

if it offers an alternative explanation for the outcome

Question 36

spurious effect

Answer 36

effect on results because of the extraneous variables not controlled for

Question 37

variable that may affect the outcome of a study but was not controlled for by the researcher

Answer 37

extraneous variable

Question 38

you are male or female. you are pregnant or not. you are in 1st or second grade. what type of variable is this?

Answer 38

discrete

Question 39

variable with only two options

Answer 39

dichotomous

Question 40

what type of variable allows for fractional amounts?

Answer 40

continuous

Question 41

what are the 4 levels of measurement?

Answer 41

nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio

Question 42

the interval level with an inherent zero starting point. ex: distance traveled, income per month

Answer 42

ratio level

Question 43

measurement level with no natural zero point. example: temperature on the farenheit scale

Answer 43

interval level

Question 44

describe the nominal level of measurement

Answer 44

data that is classified into categories and cannot be arranged in any particular order (eye color, gender, religious affiliation)

Question 45

categories-order-distance between has meaning-absolute zero

Answer 45

nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio